Heart Hope by Olga

The lady was out of breath as she chased after her dog. We had already passed each other a couple of times on the circular path, but this time she stopped me and said, “This dog is walking me.” I knew exactly what she was talking about because our beloved Roxy used to do the same thing to me.  The alpha dog pulls you wherever they want you to go and at the rate of speed that they set. The owner who should be in charge has little to say about the walk, except that they wished they had a well trained pet. Jesus asked people to walk with Him. When He said, “Come,” He wasn’t asking them to lead the way, but to follow Him. He wanted to show them where to go, because His way was the best way.  So why is it that we act like that dog who was leading the master? Why do we think we can tell God where we want to go? He has a plan and it is the best plan, but we have to be willing to follow where He goes, when He goes and at the speed He goes. If we don’t follow w...

The couple walking along the path were obviously together. The girl with her beautiful blonde tresses blowing in the gentle breeze and the young man with his scruffy beard and short cropped hair were walking side by side. Together, yet not enjoying each other’s company. They were distracted; both holding phones to their ears. Yes, they were walking together, but were disengaged from each other. Connected, but disconnected. Together, but apart.  We do the same thing. We may be at the same dinner table, but the television may have our attention. Or we may be riding in the car together, but conversation may not be taking place because of the radio. We also do the same thing with God. He is always walking with us. After all He has promised never to leave us, but how often do we forget He is right beside us? How far do we go each day without acknowledging His presence? How long does He have to wait to get our attention along the path? How much richer would our life be...

The first time I took my grand-dog, Sadie on a walk I was surprised to find out that this normally self-assured dog had one huge fear—she was terribly afraid of walking over bridges. On that walk, when we neared a bridge, she crouched down and refused to go any farther, so I picked her up to continue along.  The next walk we were on together, she again hunkered down, but I was able to pull her along even though she had her brakes on. It was a step in the right direction for Sadie in facing her fear; it seemed that on each walk crossing the bridges got a little bit easier.  This past summer, I was impressed with the progress that she had made when she hesitantly walked up to the bridge, put one foot onto the wooden structure and walked carefully along. She was showered with praise and seemed quite pleased with herself. Had she conquered her fears? The next walk would verify her outcome.  So today, we went on our usual route and upon reaching the bridge, there was not on...

After spending the morning in the library doing research for an upcoming talk, it was perfect to be able to take a walk around Nottingham Lake, since there was cloud cover, and temperatures in the mid-80s and I needed some fresh air and relaxation. Kids were playing on the playground, moms were strolling their babies, men were fishing and the lacrosse teams were practicing, which made it a pretty standard day in the park for a June afternoon. Listening to my praise and worship music trying to determine the perfect song to use at the Bible study on Contentment in Our Circumstances, suddenly I spotted something that didn’t look ordinary--in fact it looked a bit scary. A station wagon was parked on the walking path at the top of a steep hill. A man had the back end of the car open which contained a computer, a large metal box and a telephone and he was looking off in the distance toward the bottom of the hill. Now in these days and times, you can imagine what went through my mind—what is...